


wienerbrød

by j_gabrielle



Category: Aquaman (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - Not Related, Getting Together, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-20 06:43:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17017710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_gabrielle/pseuds/j_gabrielle
Summary: Arthur who makes his heart race, and some deep primal part of him gnash its teeth to have him. Arthur, who is one of the kindest people Orm has ever met, who goes out of his way to help anyone in need. Who could be good for Orm.





	wienerbrød

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ThiefDragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThiefDragon/gifts).



> Thank you for giving me the push to thread this together x

Mera eyes him knowingly, and Orm does his best to ignore her. All it does is entice her to come up to the counter where he was manning the till for Amber, his part-timer, whilst she took her lunch in the back room. With her red hair perfectly coiffed away from her face, striding forth in her Louboutins and her smoke-grey tailored Italian virgin wool women's suit, his ex-fiancée is every inch the incoming CEO of Xebel Industries.

"Orm."

"Mera." He smirks, rolling up his sleeves further, turning to plate a cinnamon roll for a customer. It's just past the lunch rush hour, so he handles things by himself to give his employees a break.

She smiles. Wide and sharklike. They'd known each other for almost half their lives, and seeing that smile prickles his flight or fight response. "Oh no, no, no." Orm shakes his head, waving her away. "Whatever it is you want from me, forget it. I want no part of it."

Mera pouts and places her hand on the marble surface. "You haven't even heard me out."

"I know you well enough not to." Orm huffs. "Besides, why do you keep hanging around here? Don't you have a company to run?"

Mera flicks off an invisible fleck of dust on her shoulder, tilting her head and meeting his eyes. "Didn't you have a company to run?"

Orm tenses, turning away. His part-timer comes through the door and he hands the cinnamon roll to her, gesturing to where the customer is. "Orm..." Mera sighs.

"I was having such a good day." Orm says, "And you just had to..."

"I'm sorry." 

A gentle touch covers his hand, radiating sincerity. "That was cruel of me."

"It was." Orm replies, "But I forgive you. I suspect I'll be forgiving you for a lot of things."

The corner of her ruby red lips twitch in a smile. "Consider it payment for being the reason we aren't getting married as planned."

* * *

Amber looks up and even without following her gaze, he knows who it is who just came through the door.

"Hey guys."

Amber eagerly goes over to help Arthur Curry, the baker they get their goods from, with the weekly delivery. If Orm wasn't aware of Amber's girlfriend and soon to be fiancée, he'd have suspected that she had a crush on the man. As it were, when Arthur steps up to the counter with an invoice and a wink, he merely rolls his eyes, smirking and hands over the money.

"Here, try this." Arthur says after handing over the change. Pulling out a Tupperware, he opens it up for Orm and Amber to take a piece each. "It's something new I'm trying. Bacon Breakfast Danish, and I thought that it would be a good on-the-go meal in the morning."

"It's good." Orm says around a mouthful, because it really is. Nothing Arthur's ever made from the day he met the man has ever been short of spectacular. Somehow, for someone with half his body covered in tattoos and who looks like they could easily make a living from beating people up, he makes the homiest and most delicate creations Orm has ever had the pleasure of having.

And with half his life trekking around the world with his father in a private jet, that is truly saying something.

Mera materialises by his side, swooping in to take a bite of her own from Orm's piece. "Oh wow! That's amazing." She gushes, eyes widening. "You made this?"

Arthur's eyes dart between them. "Yeah, I did."

Mera snatches the remainder of the pastry from Orm's unresisting fingers, expertly ignoring his very impressive scowl. "It's really good. Are you a professional?" She asks.

"No, I'm not." Arthur frowns. Confusion etched between his brows as if he is trying to put a puzzle back together again, but only has two non-connecting pieces.

Orm sighs. "Arthur, this is Mera. My ex-fiancée."

"Oh!"

"Yes. Oh, indeed." Mera narrows her eyes, watching Orm's face redden at the way Arthur's eyes widen with hope when they turn back to him.

Arthur leaves with a happy promise to let them know when he decides to put it up for order. He can tell that Mera has a million questions and then some, but her phone rings and her harried PA rushes in to haul her back to her office.

"This isn't over." Mera says, wagging a manicured finger at him.

"I wouldn't dare hope it was." Orm replies drolly, passing over a takeaway bag of pastries for her PA to gratefully take.

* * *

In truth, Orm has always known that the board of directors will never let him sit at the head of the Marius Corporation. They were, as he had told them straight to their faces the day they voted him out, a bunch of antiquated, prejudiced pigs. It had hurt, then. And in all honesty, it hurts a little still, even after three years. To helm Marius Industries was his birthright, and what he had been training for his entire life. Who cares if he was gay? His orientation was arbitrary to his ability to be able to guide his father's company through to its next phase of existence.

And that was all taken from him in one fell swoop. 

If he really lets himself dwell on it, it would make him a very bitter man. So, he cashes in some of the money he has in his trust fund, putting together all the resources he needs to open up his cafe on a leafy street just two blocks away from Xebel Industries. He gets the usual lot of students from the university and parents just biding time between picking up their children from ballet and rushing them off to futsal. 

He's doing well. He is trying his best, and. And.

Arthur. Arthur who makes his heart race, and some deep primal part of him gnash its teeth to have him. Arthur, who is one of the kindest people Orm has ever met, who goes out of his way to help anyone in need. Who could be good for Orm. One sight of his smile has Orm putting up all his walls and defences lest he starts to swoon like one of those damsels in the Mills & Boons books Amber likes to read during the lulls in service.

Arthur is dangerous. Arthur makes him come alive in a way he has never been.

And Orm aches to reach out to him.

* * *

He sends Amber home with leftover baked goods that were getting a day too old, and closes up shop by himself. Just as he is stacking up the chairs, he hears the tinkle of the bell over the shop door. "We're closed." He calls, not looking back to see who had just walked in.

"Yeah, I know." 

Orm jumps, whirling around to catch the sheepish grin on Arthur's rugged face. "Arthur, what are you doing here?" He looks around, "Did we forget something earlier?"

"No, no. It's not that." He laughs, shifting on his feet. Nervous, Orm realises. He is nervous. But whatever for?

"To be honest," Arthur licks his lips, pushing his hair out of his face. "I'm taking a chance here." He closes the distance between them, slowly coming to stand in front of Orm. "Jesus, I hope I'm right. Please don't punch me if I ain't."

With that he gently cradles Orm by the nape, leaning in and giving him enough time to react, and softly kisses him. Orm, seized by surprise, gasps, prompting Arthur to pull away in panic. Grabbing him by his firm biceps, he holds on tight.

"You call that a kiss?" He sputters breathlessly when it is clear that neither one of them is pulling away.

Arthur leans in again, smiling wide enough to crinkle his eyes. Carding his fingers through Orm's blonde hair, he presses their foreheads together, laughing when Orm tries to catch his lips with his own.

Undeterred, Orm tugs him gently by the beard. Pleased, when it makes Arthur laugh into the space between them. "Kiss me again, Arthur?" He says.

"Gladly." 

* * *

"You think they fucked yet?" Amber asks, handing over a cup of tea made just the way Mera likes. She slides into the space next to her on the sofa, and together they eye up Orm and Arthur unabashedly flirting at each other by the counter.

Happiness is a good look on Orm, Mera decides, and she likes the thought of one of her oldest friends being happy. 

"If they haven't, I think they're at least two more dates from it. Orm doesn't seem the type to put out on the first date." 

Mera looks over to her girlfriend and soon to be fiancée, smiling when she leans in to kiss her. "You wanna bet?"

"Loser has to cook Sunday dinner for a month?"

"Done."

**Author's Note:**

> I have never, will never, allow any reposting or translations of my works without my permission. All of my works will and shall only be hosted on my personal accounts on AO3 (j_gabrielle), Dreamwidth (j_gabrielle) and Tumblr (randomingoftherandomness, hardheartshere).
> 
> For those who say that I never said anything, it is clearly stated on my AO3 profile bio.
> 
> I do not have a Twitter account. 
> 
> I do not have a Wattpad account. 
> 
> **Please Do Not Repost My Fics**


End file.
